Mentioning the assault of Manipur Congress chief Keisham Meghachandra recently by a radical group, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on January 27 wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah to claim that such a shocking incident points to “a complete collapse of governance”.
In his letter, Mr. Kharge also questioned the “inaction” by the State Government and the Home Ministry against those who targeted the Manipur Congress chief, who is also a legislator.
“On the 24th of January, a meeting was convened of ministers/MPs/MLAs in the historical Kangla Fort in Imphal — a place, as you are aware, that is heavily guarded by Central and State security forces. Many members present in the meeting were compelled and coerced to attend this meeting by an armed group, he claimed. Not only that, the Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee President and MLA from Wangkhem, Keisham Meghachandra was brutally assaulted and tortured during this meeting,” Mr. Kharge said.
On Wednesday, the Arambai Tenggol (AT), a Meitei radical group allegedly at the forefront of the ongoing ethnic conflict in Manipur, had extracted a pledge from MLAs across the State’s Imphal Valley to “convey the concerns of the people” to the Centre. The Manipur Congress chief, who is from the Meitei community, is said to have been assaulted by AT during the meeting.
Without naming the group, Mr. Kharge said the shocking incident happened despite the heavy presence of Central and security forces as well as intelligence personnel.
‘No action yet’
“Till date, there has been no action from Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh and the Home Ministry on this very disturbing subversion of democratic processes by a non-state actor. It is shameful that the Prime Minister’s eloquent silence when it comes to Manipur seems to be the prevailing strategy from all important stakeholders in both the State and the Centre,” the Congress chief alleged.
Referring to his recent visit to the State for the flagging off of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, Mr. Kharge said “the Manipuri society remains bitterly divided and no concrete steps have been taken towards peace, relief and justice for those still suffering from the aftermath of the violence in the State since May 3, 2023”.
“Governments come and go, but it is the responsibility of constitutional functionaries to ensure that democratic structures, institutions and processes are protected and preserved,” he noted, urging the Home Minister to ensure that democracy and the rule of law prevails in the State.
